Types of Blogging Communities & Methods to Build Them

Based on Owyang (2007), a blogging community is created when a group of people sharing the same interest gather together and communicate with each other sharing information using web tools. Holman (2011) proposed a few ways on how bloggers build a blogging community. It is through responding to commentators, writing posts in reaction to other bloggers and creating opportunities for local bloggers to meet.


Based on Nancy White (2006), there are three types of blogging communities. it is the Blogger Centric Community, the Central Connecting Topic Community and the Boundaried Communities. 

Blogger Centric Community.

Figure a: Blogger Centric Community

(Cited from White's blog, 2006)

The one blog is owned by one owner or organisation where power in this community is firmly in the central blogger’s control.From a subject matter perspective, single blog centric communities are almost broadcast-like, with the central blogger setting the conversational topic. 

The Central Connecting Topic Community.

Figure b: Central Connecting Topic Community

(Cited from White's blog, 2006)

In topic centric communities both power and identity is distributed across the community. Topic centric communities have no single technological platform, with each blogger selecting their own tool. What links them is hyperlinks, in the form of blogrolls, links to other blogs within blog posts, tagging, aggregated feeds (using RSS), trackbacks and comments.

                                                                                                                                        

The Boundaried Community.

Figure c: Boundaried Community

(Cited from White's blog, 2006)

Typically members register and ‘join’ the community and are offered the chance to create a blog. Examples include the huge teen oriented site, MySpace.com and Farmer’s (2006) Australian free educational blogging sites Edublogs, ESLblogs, Uniblogs and Learnerblogs.

(Cited from Google.com, 2011)

Kennysia.com is a very famous Malaysian blogger which started out from a personal blog and in later years became a great advertising revenue. His blog is an example of the Blogger Centric Community.

References 


1. Anthony, 2009, What is a Blogging Community?, viewed 22nd August 2011, <,http://www.thetraveltart.com/what-is-a-blogging-community/>


2. Owyang , J, 2007, Defining the Term: Online Community, viewed  22nd August 2011, <http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2007/12/28/defining-the-term-community/>


3. Crowe, P, Holman, K, 2011, How to Create a Blogging Community, viewed 22nd August 2011, <http://www.spiceupyourblog.com/2011/03/how-to-create-blogging-community.html>


4. White, N, 2006, Blogs and Community - Launching a New Paradigm  for Online Community?, viewed 22nd August 2011, <http://kt.flexiblelearning.net.au/tkt2006/edition-11-editorial/blogs-and-community-%E2%80%93-launching-a-new-paradigm-for-online-community>